The Olympic flame

The Olympic flame is a symbol carried over from the ancient Olympics，where a flame burned at the altar(祭坛)of Zeus(宙斯)throughout competition.It was finally reintroduced at the 1924 Amsterdam(阿姆斯特丹) Games，and again burned in 1932.

Carl Diem，chairman of the organizing committee for the 1936 Berlin Games，proposed that the flame be lit in Greece and transported to Berlin via a torch relay.The idea was adopted(采纳) and continued at every Olympic Games since 1952.

The flame is lit at the ancient site(场所) of Olympia by the natural rays of the sun reflected(反射) off a carved(雕刻) mirror.

Olympic motto

“Citius，altius，fortius”is a Latin phrase meaning“swifter，higher，stronger”，which Baron de Coubertin borrowed from Father Henri Dideon of Paris.Dideon was the headmaster of Arcueil College，and used the phrase to describe the athletic achievements(成就) of students at the school.He had previously been at the Albert Le Grand School，where the Latin words were carved in the stone above the main entrance.

Olympic oath

“In the name of all competitors，I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games，respecting and abiding(遵守) by the rules that govern them，in the true spirit of sportsmanship，for the glory(荣誉) of sport and the honor of our teams.”

Written by Baron de Coubertin，the oath is taken by an athlete from the host nation(主办国) while holding a corner of the Olympic flag.The athlete’s oath was first taken by Belgian fencer Victor Boin at the 1920 Antwerp Games.A judge from the host country also speaks the oath，with slightly different wording(措辞)．

Want to feel better, have more energy and perhaps even live longer? Look no further than exercise. The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore.        【小题1】 Getting the right amount of exercise can increase your energy levels and even help improve your mood. Need more convincing to exercise? Check out these ways about exercise which can improve your life.

【小题2】Exercising causes the body to produce endorphins, chemicals that can help a person to feel more peaceful and happy. Exercise can help some people sleep better. It can also help some people who have mild depression and low self-esteem. Plus, exercise can give people a real sense of accomplishment and pride at having achieved a certain goal — like beating an old time in the 100-meter dash.

【小题3】People who exercise burn more calories and look more toned than those who don’t. In fact, exercise is one of the most important parts of keeping your body at a healthy weight.

【小题4】Exercising to maintain a healthy weight decreases a person’s risk of developing certain diseases, including type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. These diseases, which used to be found mostly in adults, are becoming more common in teens.

【小题5】This may not seem important now, but your body will thank you later. Women are especially prone to a condition called osteoporosis (a weakening of the bones) as they get older. Studies have found that weight-bearing exercise, like jumping, running or brisk walking, can help girls (and guys!) keep their bones strong.

The three components to a well-balanced exercise routine are: aerobic exercise, strength training, and flexibility training.

Think energetic exercise is just for the young? Think again. Contrary to the common belief, a new study finds seniors should stay physically active. The study reveals that physical activity shifts energy away from biological processes that cause disease and moves it towards systems throughout the body which extend (延长) life.

Researchers used apes (类人猿) — the distant cousins of humans —in their research. They theorize that humans separated themselves from apes during evolution (进化) by developing the ability to make themselves fitter through physical exercise.

Typically, apes live only 35 to 40 years. However, apes are also much less active than most humans. This suggests that humans reached a point in their evolution where people developed a way to stay alive longer through more activity. The behavior of apes stands in sharp contrast to that of ancient hunter-gatherers, who the team says averaged around 135 minutes of moderate-to-energetic physical activity a day. Study authors believe this level of activity, up to 10 times more than the average American, is the reason hunter-gatherers lived to around 70 years old.

The team finds humans also use energy from physical activity to repair and maintain the body. Along with burning calories, exercise actually causes widespread damage to the body by causing damage on a cellular(细胞的), molecular (分子的), and tissue level. However, this damage is essential so the body can build itself back even stronger. Through exercise, the body starts repairing muscle fibers, broken bones, and other minor injuries. When people are less active, these processes are also less active, putting people at higher risk of disease.

We humans evolved to be active throughout our lives and our bodies need physical activity to age well. In the past, daily physical activity was necessary in order to survive, but today we choose to do voluntary physical activity for health and fitness. The good news is that you don’t need to be as active as a hunter-gatherer to reduce the effects of aging.